Recipe No 556 curry Original 2015 Adapted 2026

Sri Lankan chicken curry

This is a flavoursome Sri Lankan curry which is easy to make and doesn’t take hours to cook. Makes for a great mid-week meal, especially if the mother-in-law is over for dinner. We serve ours with steamed green beans which is likely not very traditional, but it pairs well and reduces the calories. Of course, basmati rice makes for a fuller accompaniment and soaks up the sauce nicely.

Adapted from Move Nourish Believe website

Recipe: Sri Lankan chicken curry.
Time

Prep:

Total:

Shelf life

Fridge: 4 days

Freezer: 6 months

Difficulty
easy
Yield
4–6 serves • 1500 g
Metric Imperial

Processes

  • Ghee (2 tbsp)
    28 g
  1. 01
    Heat in a pan over medium heat.

  • Curry leaves (10 each)
    6 g
  • Fenugreek seeds (¼ tsp)
    1 g
  1. 02
    Add to pan and cook until fragrant, about .

  • Scallions, thinly sliced (6 medium)
    90 g
  • Garlic cloves, chopped (6 clove)
    24 g
  • Ginger, medium grate (2 tsp)
    8 g
  1. 03
    Add to pan and sauté until soft, about .

  • Chilli powder (½ tsp)
    1.4 g
  • Paprika, sweet (2 tsp)
    5.4 g
  • Coriander seeds, ground (2 tsp)
    3.8 g
  • Turmeric, ground (1 tsp)
    2.6 g
  • Cumin seeds, ground (1 tsp)
    2.6 g
  • Fennel seeds, ground (1 tsp)
    1.8 g
  • Mustard seeds, black (1 tsp)
    4 g
  • Salt (1 tsp)
    5 g
  1. 04
    Dry blend.
  2. 05
    Add to pan and stir to combine.

  • Vinegar, apple cider (2 tbsp)
    40 g
  1. 06
    Deglaze the pan and stir well to evenly distribute the spices.

  • Chicken thighs, each cut into 6 pieces (6 each)
    1000 g
  1. 07
    Add to pan and stir to combine thoroughly.

  • Tomatoes, chopped (2 medium)
    280 g
  • Lemongrass; bruised and cut into 1" / 2.5 cm pieces (1 stalk)
    15 g
  • Cinnamon, whole (½ stick)
    3.5 g
  • Cardamom seeds (extracted from whole pods) (6 pods)
    0.66 g
  1. 08
    Add to pan and stir to combine thoroughly.
  2. 09
    Cover and simmer for .
  3. 10
    Stir thoroughly, ensuring the tomatoes are fully crushed.
  4. 11
    Cover and cook until the tomatoes have completely broken down, a further .
  5. 12
    (Optional) Strain the entire mixture, saving the liquid and returning it to the pan. Keep the meat and vegetables warm. Reduce the liquid to a thick sauce and then return the meat and vegetables to the pan. Alternatively, you can thicken the sauce in a blender with 0.5 g / 0.02 oz xanthan gum.

  • Coconut milk1 (½ cup)
    125 g
  • Sambal olek (2 tsp)
    13 g
  1. 13
    Add to pan and stir to combine.
  2. 14
    Turn off heat.
  3. 15
    (Optional) Find and remove the curry leaves, cinnamon and lemongrass.
  4. 16
    Divide evenly between serving bowls.

  • Chilli, fresh, chopped
    as needed
  • Coriander (optional)
    as needed
  • Sambal olek (optional)
    as needed
  1. 17
    Garnish or serve on the side.

Footnotes

  1. We have used light coconut milk in this recipe with great results.

Notes

Reheat gently to prevent the coconut milk from splitting.

For a more refined sauce, skin the tomatoes and remove the core and seeds before chopping; keep the flesh and juice. The required weight may require additional tomatoes.

The original recipe on Move Nourish Believe is difficult to follow. Our version is significantly improved and has been successfully tested.

Making ahead

Prepare the dry ingredients and store in an air-tight container.

Trim and chop the chicken.

Storing

Use an air-tight container.

Food pairings

Sambal olek

Finished recipe

  • Recipe: Sri Lankan chicken curry
    With steamed greens and light coconut milk, this curry is highly delicious but low on calories

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Categorisation

Category
curry
Meal
dinner lunch
Cuisine
sri lankan
Diet
omnivorous
Tags
curry mother-in-law